Salmon Season Prospects for 2017-2018 with Charles Smith

Salmon Season 2017-2018 off to a Great Start!

The author Charles Smith with a Rakaia gut salmon caught one morning as the river was rising. Salmon Season 2017-2018.

The season so far looks great compared to the previous two seasons. Salmon condition is a lot better with deeper chunky salmon caught. The run for the Rakaia River has been good with early catches in November and December. The build-up for the following months is looking promising.

What has made this season so far more interesting is that the water temperatures are a lot higher than usual slowing down salmon movement. Typically the early run of fish, race straight through the lower reaches of the Rakaia River but as stated before water temperatures are changing that pattern and salmon are holding out off the mouth and lower braids. All photographs courtesy of Charles Smith.

Above: Erik Vanderzet with a fish on in one of the lower Rakaia River braids.

Erik Vanderzet with an early morning limit bag from the lower Rakaia River. Magnificent! Photographs courtesy of Charles Smith.

Every season the salmon fishing is different. You never know in advance quite what is going to happen. It all depends on water temperature and feeding conditions at sea, and possibly a few other factors as well. It is essential to get out on the water at every opportunity. With the salmon waiting in the surf off the river mouths this season it could well be one of those years when anglers fishing long rods could be well rewarded. Hopefully, it is a good sign that the 2017-2018 salmon season will be a special one.

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Chinook Salmon Parr

This video captures juvenile chinook salmon which have developed from "fry" to become "parr" and are about 40-50mm long. They will remain and feed in the stream until they become "smolt" and large enough to migrate to the sea. The survivors will return to the same stream in 2-3 years time as fully grown adult salmon. Video by Kevin Belcher. Published 27 August 2018

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